AAJA Convention Guides: Curtiss Kim, Asian American Radio Group

Not sure how to start planning for this year’s AAJA Convention? Get some advice from AAJA-ers in the know:Curtiss Kim, a veteran broadcast journalist

A bomb goes off at the finish of the Boston Marathon. An overseas jet passenger plane crashes on the runway at San Francisco International Airport. A fertilizer plant explosion erupts in West Texas. A deadly tornado destroys Moore, Oklahoma. As a co-worker once told me, “you can’t schedule news” but you can be prepared for it. Be sure to check out “Trends in Mobile Journalism” on Thursday morning. Gone are the days when I used a walkie-talkie to call in a report. Does anyone even know what a walkie-talkie is? Learn how newsrooms and journalists are reporting in the digital age. And is my cell phone “smart”? Using it to call someone is almost an after-thought. It’s a reporting tool, notebook, video camera and mobile uplink. Trust me; you’ll want to attend “Essential Video Techniques” on Thursday afternoon. And no, I have no idea what a “5-shot sequence” is. I’ve been covering news for 40 years and this is the most exciting time for journalists. See you in Manhattan. And here’s a tip. Spend as much time as possible outside the sessions networking and meeting new friends. They’re connections that will last a lifetime.

Curtiss Kim is Bay Area broadcast veteran in both radio and television with extensive experience as a TV Anchor and Show Host, Radio Anchor , Correspondent, and General Assignment Reporter. Affiliations include NBC, CBS and CNN. Kim is the current Co-coordinator of the Asian American Radio Group.